Prepared piano  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sound altered by placing objects (preparations) between or on the strings or on the hammers or dampers.

The idea of altering an instrument's timbre through the use of external objects has been applied to instruments other than the piano; see, for example, prepared guitar.

In popular music

• "All Tomorrow's Parties" from The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), John Cale prepared his piano with a chain of paper clips.
• Denman Maroney performs on what he has dubbed hyperpiano, which "involves stopping, sliding, bowing, plucking, striking and strumming the strings with copper bars, aluminum bowls, rubber blocks, plastic boxes and other household objects."
• The Noah and the Whale song "Our Window" makes use of a piano prepared with "screws, ping pong balls and tooth picks."
• Tori Amos song "Bells for Her" has her play a prepared piano.

See also

• Piano extended technique
• Prepared harp